Shoe insole

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides insoles for shoes in which the insoles each have an insole body with the surface thereof made of paper or nonwoven cloth, and onto the surface of this insole body is adhered a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designs such as pictures and characters on a rear surface thereof. With this configuration, the insoles become much more fashionable as compared to the conventional ones, are not mistaken for other&#39;s shoes even at a place where there are a number of pairs of shoes of the same type, allow a user to find his or her own pair of shoes at a glance, and give him or her the pleasure when wearing the same.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to insoles for not only the shoes for general purposes but also those for other various uses such as for sports, for medical applications, or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Insoles for shoes which have been used so far have, for instance, the surface made of nonwoven cloth, and focus only on the functionality including heat retention, deodorizing and cushioning, and therefore the color of the surface thereof is not colorful and rather plain with the same color as that inside the shoes (in many cases, solid color such as black and beige). In other words, the insoles which have been used so far are just for improving the functionality of shoes, and are not something fashionable. Though it is not impossible to design the surface of the insole body with printing, there has been the problem that, as the surface of the insole body is made of nonwoven cloth, fine printing cannot be made on the surface of such nonwoven cloth.

[0003] Further, even if insoles are employed, they are plain in the color, so that there has been the problem that one may easily mistake his or her pair of shoes with others' at schools, nursing homes, hospitals or the like where many people wear a pair of shoes of the same color and the same type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An object of the present invention is, in the light of the problems as described above, to provide insoles for shoes with which a user can find his or her own pair of shoes at a glance and give the feeling of pleasure when the user wears the same.

[0005] In order to achieve the object described above, the insoles for shoes according to the present invention are characterized in that the insoles have an insole body with the surface thereof made of paper or nonwoven cloth respectively, and also in that a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designs such as pictures and characters on a rear surface thereof is adhered to a top surface of the insole body. Further, in order to achieve the object described above, the insoles according to the present invention are characterized in that the insoles have an insole body with the surface thereof made of paper or nonwoven cloth respectively, and also in that the surface of this insole body carries designs such as pictures and characters thereon and a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet is adhered over the designs. Further, in order to achieve the object described above, the insoles according to the present invention are characterized in that a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designs such as pictures and characters thereon is adhered onto a surface of the insole body, and also in that an adhesive surface is provided on a rear surface of the insole body and a separable sheet is adhered over the adhesive sheet.

[0006] As described above, this invention provides the insoles for shoes respectively having an insole body with the surface thereof made of paper or nonwoven cloth and having a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designing such as pictures and characters on a rear surface thereon adhered to a top surface thereof; the present invention also provides insoles for shoes respectively having an insole body with the surface thereof made of paper or nonwoven cloth and carrying designs such as pictures and characters thereon and also with the designs covered with a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet adhered thereon; and the present invention further provides insoles for shoes respectively having an insole body having a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designed such as pictures and characters adhered on a top surface thereof and also with a separable sheet provided on a rear surface of the insole body covered with a separable sheet adhered thereon, and because of the features as described above, the insoles become much more fashionable as compared to the conventional ones, are rarely mistaken for other's shoes even at a place where there are a number of pairs of shoes of the same type, allow for a user to find his or her own pair of shoes at a glance, and give him or her the pleasure of wearing the same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a general flat view showing an insole for a shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1;

[0009]FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are general flat views showing of the insole each showing different color designs respectively;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a general flat view showing the insole for a shoe according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0011]FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along the line V-V in FIG. 4; and

[0012]FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the insole in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] One embodiment of the present invention is described hereinafter with reference to the related drawings.

[0014] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 indicates an insole for a shoe having an insole body 2 with the substantially same planar shape as that of an inner sole of the shoe not shown, and the body 2 comprises, as shown in FIG. 2 with the cross section thereof, from bottom to top, nonwoven cloth 3, a deodorizing sheet 4, coated cardboard paper 5, a deodorizing sheet 6, nonwoven cloth 7, and a transparent film 8 as a synthetic resin sheet, each being laminated and adhered one above the other. Each of the deodorizing sheets 4,6 comprises, for example, a Bincho charcoal sheet. The body 2 comprising these laminated bodies has the total thickness of about 1.2 mm.

[0015] The transparent film 8 comprises polypropylene, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, PET, or the like, and is adhered onto the entire surface of the nonwoven cloth 7. Designs such as pictures and characters are color-printed on the rear surface of the transparent film 8. The reference numeral 9 indicates a printed surface thereof. The design on the printed surface 9 is a colorful vertically striped pattern having a plurality of colors, but the design does not necessarily has a plurality of colors as shown in FIG. 1, and that with one color is allowable. The colorful design is provided by multiple color printing.

[0016] A number of through-holes 11 are perforated on the transparent film 8 to ensure proper air flow, so that damp of sweat from the sole of foot or the like pass through from the surface of the film via the through-holes 11 to the rear surface of the film, and is easily absorbed into the nonwoven cloth 7. The through-holes 11 are, as shown in the figure, perforated on the entire film with a regular arrangement, but the through-holes 11 may not necessarily be provided on the entire film, and the configuration is allowable in which the through-holes 11 are provided in any proper places thereon where damping easily occurs.

[0017] In the example described in this embodiment, it is assumed that the transparent film 8 has the same size and the same shape as those of the insole body 2 and is adhered on the whole surface thereof, but the configuration is allowable in which the transparent film 8 is adhered not onto the whole surface thereof but onto any necessary proper places thereon, for instance, half a part on the heel side of the shoes, or only any proper places according to the necessity. Further, the film 8 adhered on the nonwoven cloth 7 may be semitransparent.

[0018] With the configuration as described above, it is possible to make the insoles fashionable with the colorfully designed printed surface 9 provided on the rear surface of the film 8 adhered on the insole body 2. In addition, in the state where a user takes off and puts down his or her pair of shoes, the user can find his or her shoes at a glance with the design thereof, so that, even where a number of pairs of shoes of the same type are taken off and put down, the user will not mistake his or her shoes with others'.

[0019]FIGS. 3A and 3B are another examples of color designs provided by the multiple color printing. FIG. 3A shows a British national flag-like design provided on the entire surface of the insole body 2, while FIG. 3B shows a design with circles and other curved lines on the entire surface of the insole body 2.

[0020] In the embodiment described above, designing is made on the rear surface of the film 8, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and, though not shown in the figure, designing may be made on the nonwoven cloth 7 covered with the film 8. When designing is made on the nonwoven cloth 7, as explained in the description concerning the prior art, fine printing is quite difficult, but in such a case, for instance, it can be achieved by using paper in place of the nonwoven cloth 7, or by using the nonwoven cloth 7 adhered paper thereon.

[0021] When designing is made on the nonwoven cloth 7 or paper as described above, similar operations and effects can be expected as those provided when designing is made on the rear surface of the film 8.

[0022] It is to be noted that in the embodiment described above, description assumes the configuration in which the through-holes 11 are perforated onto the film 8, but the through-holes 11 are not necessarily perforated.

[0023]FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment. This embodiment is especially suited for the use in sandals. The insole 21 for a high-heeled sandal 20 has, as apparently shown in FIG. 6, a shape smaller than that of a surface portion for putting a foot thereon when seen two-dimensionally. Namely, a heel section and a tiptoe section are slightly wide, while the intermediate section between the heel section and the tiptoe section is narrow. The reference numeral 22 indicates an insole body, and the insole body 22 comprises, as shown in FIG. 5 showing a cross section thereof, from bottom to top, a separable sheet 23, an adhesive sheet 24, and a transparent resin sheet 26 as a synthetic resin sheet, each being laminated and adhered one above the other. The insole body 22 comprising these laminated bodies has the total thickness of about 1.2 mm.

[0024] The transparent resin sheet 26 is made of the same material as that for the transparent film 8 described above, and on the rear surface of the transparent resin sheet 26 is color-printed designs such as pictures and characters. The reference numeral 29 indicates a printed surface thereof. Designs on the printed surface 29 are colored ones, as shown in FIG. 4, with its entire surface having colorful circles and other curved lines printed with a plurality of colors, but the designs are not necessarily required to have a plurality of colors, and that with one color is allowable. The colorful design is provided by multiple color printing. Different from the transparent film 8, through-holes are not perforated on the transparent resin sheet 26. Further, the adhesive sheet 24 may be not a sheet, and may have a surface partially carrying an adhesive agent thereon, and further the resin sheet 26 may be semitransparent.

[0025] As an example of the use is shown in FIG. 6, the adhesive sheet 24 of the insole body 22 after being detached from the separable sheet 23 is adhered onto the surface portion for putting a foot thereon of a sandal 20 as shown in the figure. By employing such a configuration, just like in the case of the insole 1 in the embodiment described above, the printed surface 29 with colorful designs having various colors can be made on the rear surface of the transparent resin sheet 26 adhered to the insole body 22, which makes the insole further fashionable. In addition, in the state where a user takes off and puts down his or her pair of sandals, the user can find his or her own sandals at a glance because of the designs thereon, so that, even where a number of pairs of sandals of the same type are taken off and put down, the user will not mistake his or her sandals with others'. Further, the insoles according to this embodiment are adhered onto the surface of the sandals with the adhesive sheet 24, so that the insoles 1 themselves will not be slippery and the user can walk comfortably wearing the pair of sandals, and moreover, after a pair of sandals 20 are put for a considerably long period of time with its brand-name tag on the heel section of the inner sole fading, or with the inner sole having stains, the insoles according to this embodiment can be adhered over the corresponding portion to cover the same to show his or her good taste in fashion with a new fashionable design thereon.

[0026] It is to be noted that the embodiment described above illustrates only a preferred example, and it is needless to say that the configuration is allowable in which the insole according to the present invention has, for instance, a shape corresponding to the heel portion or the tiptoe portion of a sandal, and consists of only the heel portion or only the tiptoe portion. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An insole for a shoe having an insole body with a surface made of paper or nonwoven cloth, wherein a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designs such as pictures and characters on a rear surface thereof is adhered on a top surface of the insole body.
 2. The insole for a shoe according to claim 1, wherein through-holes are perforated at proper places on said synthetic resin sheet.
 3. The insole for a shoe according to claim 1, wherein said synthetic resin sheet has the substantially same shape as that of the insole body, and a number of through-holes are perforated on the entire surface of the sheet.
 4. The insole for a shoe according to claim 1, wherein said designs are colored ones provided by multiple color printing.
 5. An insole for a shoe having an insole body with a surface made of paper or nonwoven cloth, wherein the surface of this insole body carries designs such as pictures and characters, and a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet is adhered over the designs.
 6. The insole for a shoe according to claim 5, wherein through-holes are perforated at proper places on said synthetic resin sheet.
 7. An insole for a shoe, wherein a transparent or semitransparent synthetic resin sheet carrying designs such as pictures and characters on a rear surface thereof is adhered on a top surface of said insole body, and an adhesive surface is provided on a rear surface of said insole body with a separable sheet covering and adhered on the adhesive surface.
 8. The insole for a shoe according to claim 7, wherein said designs are colorful ones provided by multiple color printing.
 9. The insole for a shoe according to claim 7, wherein said insole body has a shape corresponding to a heel portion or a tiptoe portion of the shoe.
 10. The insole for a shoe according to claim 9, wherein said shoes are sandals. 